By long-standing tradition, clothing-free resorts have been rustic campgrounds. But times are changing.
“Fancy nude recreation spots are springing up along major highways, and resort owners are joining chambers of commerce, sponsoring charity drives and hosting civic events,” writes latimes.com.
Joe Lettelier, owner of Dawson’s Paradise Valley Resort in Georgia, used to call his resort Hidden Valley to keep it away from prying eyes. But now he is adding luxury touches at the108-acre resort, which has become clothing-optional.
Annual fundraisers for local charities draw motorcyclists and joggers.
Said Erich Schuttauf, executive director of the American Association for Nude Recreation:
“Once upon a time, people built walls. And the feeling was ‘we’ve got to have walls….Folks didn’t realize it was basically just a club, what a swim and tennis club would resemble.”
Things have progressed so far that residents of Tampa’s Paradise Lakes Resort a few years ago formed the world’s first nudist Lions Club.
Report by David Wilkening
